Learn the basics of one of Overwatch’s more complicated DPS in our Overwatch Genji Guide.
Most heroes have some sort of abilities that allow them to be mobile. Some can jump and others can fly, but it is hard to get better than Genji when it comes down to mobility. The latter is one of the most popular DPS in the game and a hero that has a really high skill cap. Consequently, most people have no idea how to make the most of him.
Genji is one of the heroes that you have to spam pick in order to get better with. With that being said, there are several tips and tricks that could help those who are new to the game. So, let’s check some of the things that make Genji such a popular pick among players.
Genji is usually a flanker, but don’t get bogged down
Everyone who played Overwatch for a couple of months has heard of the term flanker. The latter describes heroes whose job is to avoid direct combat and try to pick off supports and other heroes on the back lines. There are a couple of excellent flankers in Overwatch, and Genji is undoubtedly one of them.
Thanks to his incredible mobility and the fact that he is elusive, he can easily catch opponents off guard. Killing an enemy with Genji is easy, as long as you learn more about the hero’s damage capabilities.
Even though Genji is an exceptional flanker, some people prefer to participate in the big team fights that take place “in the middle of the map”. Since he has the potential to deal a lot of burst damage, he can be helpful in situations when the team needs someone to die ASAP.
As mentioned earlier, this is one of the heroes with the highest skill cap in the game. This means that you need to know what you’re doing to be effective for your team. Genji is not like other heroes in OW, who can bring value just by staying alive.
You definitely need to learn how to use your dash
Genji is an incredible mobile hero that can deal a lot of damage, and one of the reasons for his damage capabilities is Swift Strike. This is an ability that allows him to dash forward and deal 50 damage to anything he goes through. Swift Strike has an 8 seconds cooldown, but what makes it so dangerous is that its CD can be reset if Genji eliminates a target. Needless to say, you can either kill some or participate in killing and you will be rewarded with an elimination.
Swift Strike can be used in various ways, and it all depends on the situation. People often forget that they can use the ability to escape from some situations. It can be used even if you look up, which allows you to jump into a wall and run when things get bad.
Another thing that makes the Swift Strike so dangerous is the fact that you can hit multiple opponents. Depending on the heroes you face, some of your opponents might huddled around their tank. So, when you use your Swift Strike, you will be able to hit almost all of them.
Genji’s Deflect is very powerful
Sadly, inexperienced players find themselves in a situation where they use Swift Strike to attack their opponents and fail to kill anyone with it. This means that the given player is stuck between multiple opponents who are more than happy to kill him in seconds. Fortunately, the Overwatch developers have thought about it, so they’ve given the hero an ability called Deflect.
As its name suggests, this thing allows him to deflect all upcoming attacks for two seconds after using it. Besides being “invulnerable”, everyone who attacks Genji while he has this ability will deal damage to himself. As a result, this is one of the best defensive abilities in the game.
Learning how to use Dragonblade will take some time
Genji has one of the coolest ultimates in the game, especially when it comes to animations. When used, he brings out his sword and has six seconds during which he can attack his opponents. Dragonblade deals 110 damage, it gives him a 30% movement speed buff and automatically resets the cooldown of Swift Strike. What’s more, Genji can’t use his Shrukens while having the blade on.
Even though this ability seems strong, using it is easier said than done. Most people fail to utilize it because they don’t know how to set it up properly. They usually use it to kill a given tank and forget that they can do so much more.
One of the things that many people do to prepare themselves for this ult is to use Swift Strike so that they can position themselves correctly. Since this ability’s cooldown resets after using Dragonblade, they can use it one more time. Don’t forget that killing someone also resets Swift Strike’s CD, so you can use this ability back and forth loads of times.
Despite this ability’s enormous potential, there are many things that can go wrong while using it. For example, Genji is susceptible to things like McCree’s Flashbang. This means that you need to check the opponents’ heroes and make sure that there is nothing to stop you from using your ultimate.
Final Thoughts
Despite the fact that Genji is one of the most engaging heroes to play, he is definitely not “noob-friendly”. You will have to practice a lot before learning how to move correctly and deal damage. Once ready, you also have to spend time learning your abilities and the things you need to be aware of.
Although Genji is amazing, he also has multiple counters that can make your life a living hell. One of the common picks against him is Mei. Even though she is not that tanky, she can freeze Genji, which is more than enough for her team to kill him in seconds.